The Lupin Twins
by Unwritten Whispers
Summary: Remus is sorted into Gryffindor while his twin sister, Renata, is sorted into Slytherin. Soon she becomes best friends with a certain Lestrange, and also begins to adopt Death Eater ways while also sort of becoming adopted by future Death Eaters. Will the twins relationship prove to be strong or will they fall apart? Especially with Sirius Black practically living with them.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own the characters, unless they're an OC, nor do I own Harry Potter – they all belong to JK Rowling…**

**Also, I'm in love with this entire stories plot, and so far it's already 497 pages deep in my laptop, so I'm pretty confident that I'm not going to end up abandoning this story…**

To Truly Be A Witch

Growing up in the muggle world, going to Diagon Alley had always been a treat for her. She loved going every chance she had. Her dad would enter the wizarding world every six months, and she and her brother would sometimes be allowed to go with him. They never stayed for long, only entering the shops that her dad needed to go to. But things were different now. Now that she and her brother were eleven years old, they were going to be able to see a lot more of the wizarding world. Her mum and dad even saved up enough muggle money to trade in for the right amount of galleons so they could get their own animals. That was their birthday presents from their parents – their own animal to take to Hogwarts.

"Come on, Remus!" eleven-year-old Renata Lupin shouted at her brother. Today was the day they went to Diagon Alley and bought their things for Hogwarts. Standing in front of the brick wall behind The Leaky Cauldron, she turned around to watch her brother. It had been the full moon the night before, but today was the only day their parents were able to bring them. Her brother looked exhausted, but she couldn't contain her excitement. Tall and lanky, Remus's usually shaggy light brown hair already had a single strand of gray in it, and his light brown eyes were red with the proof of his lack of sleep. His skin was pale and pasty, and Renata could see that all he wanted to do was return home and sleep.

"Do you have to shout, Renata?" Remus groaned, rubbing at his ears.

"Sorry," she grinned sheepishly.

The Lupin twins were the complete opposite from each other. They always had been. From the minute the two were born they had already been different. The twins were both tall and pale, but Renata's brown eyes were five shades darker than Remus's; almost a black color. Renata's hair was thicker than her brother's, and it had strands of gold in the light brown color. Remus had always been shy and more involved with his books, and Renata loved to be the center of attention. Remus didn't really like to go out and make friends, and Renata was always going out of her way to make new friends. Remus hated himself for being a werewolf, and Renata snuck into the basement every full moon night to read to the wolf that her brother became for three nights a month. She always fell asleep in the middle of reading, and she always woke up in her own bed the next morning. Her dad never mentioned it, and Renata didn't tell her brother what she did for him – knowing he would throw a tantrum.

When their eleventh birthday neared, Renata even caught her brother crying because he didn't think he'd be able to go to Hogwarts. But then Professor Dumbledore showed up to their tiny little house, and he informed the Lupins about a tree being planted just so Remus could sneak out every full moon, and that he had already started a rumor about a haunted shack so that Remus could hide out there every night while he's in his wolf form. Renata soon found she was more excited than her brother was. Remus was worried that he would hurt or kill someone at the school, and the closer it got to the date to leave the more depressed he became. Remus was also ashamed of their family.

He blamed himself for their dad losing his Ministry job, and he blamed himself for them having to live in the muggle world from when the twins were only seven years old ever since the attack. Renata didn't mind the fact that she and her brother slept in the same bedroom while their parents slept in the living room, nor did she mind the fact that she didn't have gowns made of silk like other girls did. It wasn't that Remus was ashamed of the fact that his family was poor, he just blamed himself and grew ashamed of what they had been forced to become. Renata found herself learning to appreciate her family even more because of it. The nights when their parents didn't pay the electricity bill on time were her favorite moments. Even if Remus didn't admit it, he loved those nights as well. Instead of allowing their dad to use a charm to turn the lights back on, the twins would light candles all around the house and play hide-n-seek, or they would make puppets. Renata loved playing hide-n-seek as long as she was on her brother's team – he always won thanks to his werewolf senses.

Renata knew her brother was exhausted because of the full moon the night before, but she was excited. Her parents even got dressed up just for this. Her mum had always been a beautiful woman – a muggle who met John Lupin by chance one day. With short golden hair to her shoulders, Ruby Lupin always resembled a model – at least in Renata's mind. Her mum was tall and slender, and she always made sure to wear eyeliner and bright red lipstick. Ruby was dressed in a white short-sleeved blouse with buttons down the front, and a black skirt that reached her knees. She even managed to get the wrinkles out of the black robes that she wore whenever her husband would bring her into the wizarding world. John was wearing the black robes that he used to wear while working in the Ministry, before he lost his job. The stress lines around his eyes made him seem a bit older than he really was, but Renata still thought her dad was extremely handsome.

Looking down at her own outfit, Renata smoothed down the lines of the yellow blouse she was wearing. The sleeves reached her elbows, and the shirt reached her belly button, showing she was growing. The blue jean skirt she wore was also pulled up to her belly button, but it made it reach her thighs – much to her brother's and dad's annoyance. Renata even tied her thick long strands into a tight braid that reached the middle of her back. She even painted her nails a bright pink color just for this day. Remus even tried to make himself look presentable. He combed his hair back, earning a snicker from his twin at how sleek it looked. The long blue jeans reached Remus's ankles, showing that he grew since he last wore the pants, but it was the only pair that didn't have any holes in it – no matter how faded they were. Remus even agreed to use the black colored shirt with the collar on it that Renata asked him to use. To most of the families around them going to Diagon Alley was just another shopping day, but to the Lupins it was a treat.

"Move aside, love," John said, reaching over his daughter with his wand. Renata watched in awe as he tapped the bricks (three up, two across…) to allow them entry into the shopping center.

Feeling her brother move beside her, Renata reached out and grabbed his hand, "I'm so excited, Remus," she said, grinning over at him, "Aren't you?"

"Yeah," he lied in a soft voice, "I'm really excited."

Rolling her eyes, Renata pulled her twin into Diagon Alley. "Renata, be careful!"

"Sorry, Daddy," Renata apologized, giving her dad an apologetic look as she and her brother both stepped onto his feet.

Chuckling, Ruby looked at her husband, "Where to first, John?"

"Do you both have your lists?" when the twins nodded their heads, John smiled down at them. "Remus, give me your list. Why don't you both go with your mum into the robe shop, and I'll go over to the bookshop."

"Okay, Dad," handing his dad the list with his needed school supplies on it, Remus continued to hold onto his sister's hand. "Will we meet you in the bookshop?"

Nodding his head, John pulled out a handful of sickles and knuts from the money pouch in his pocket. Dumping them into his wife's purse, he looked down at his kids, "Yes, I'll meet you three in the robes shop."

Grinning excitedly, Renata started to pull her brother through the crowd, hearing her mum shout for her to slow down. "Come on, Remmy," she said, being careful not to bump into anybody.

"Slow down, Renata," Remus groaned, "We can't lose Mum."

"Mummy's right behind us," Renata rolled her eyes, quickly apologizing to an older wizard that she stepped on. "Ooh, look, do you think he's a first year too?"

Dragging Remus into a secondhand robe shop, Renata held the door open for her scowling mum to enter in after them. The woman working was a kind-faced witch who wore a set of lavender colored robes that had some patches on it. Renata could see that most of the robes in the shop were all patched up. The worker told them she'd be with them in a second, and the Lupins all stood to the side while a tall and pale boy got fitted for his own sets of robes. His hair was black and greasy looking, while his nose was shaped like a hook. Renata saw him staring at her and she smiled politely. Remus noticed it and snarled at the boy – not appreciating the fact that he was looking at his sister.

After ten minutes of waiting, the boy finally climbed off of the stool that he had been standing on. The worker jotted down all of his information and told him she'd have his robes sent to his home by the next morning. While leaving he gave Renata a small smile and sneered at Remus. Renata was already climbing onto the stool to be fitted by the time the woman turned around to call on her.

"You're a first year?" the woman asked as she waved her wand and a measuring tape around the young and excited witch.

Renata quickly nodded her head, "Yes, I'm so excited. Was that boy a first year too?"

"Yes, he is," the woman kindly smiled. "Poor thing came in all alone too."

"I'm not alone," Renata grinned, holding her arms stretched out as if she were about to hug someone. "My mum's in here with me, and so is my brother. It's his first year as well."

The woman looked over at Remus, who was now blushing. "Twins – oh, how lovely. There's another pair of twins, only two years older than you two. Gideon and Fabian – oh, a mess they are. Lovely boys though. I believe they're in Gryffindor."

"My brother wants to be in Gryffindor," Renata informed the woman. "Our dad was in Gryffindor when he went to Hogwarts, and Remus only talks about being in Gryffindor too."

"What about you, love, what house do you want to end up in?"

"I wouldn't mind being in Gryffindor too, I guess," Renata said after a moment of thinking, "But I think I'd much rather be in Ravenclaw. I hear you have to answer a riddle every time you want to enter their tower. That sounds exciting."

The woman continued to talk and laugh with Renata throughout the rest of the fitting, even when she was working on Remus. She asked him questions, but he answered with as few words as he could without being rude. She quickly realized that he was just shy and she went back to talking to Renata instead, much to Remus's relief. Their dad returned with all of their books by the time they were both finished being fitted, claiming that he got tired of waiting for them in the bookshop, and Renata beamed brightly as the woman told them they would receive all six robes by the next morning. She couldn't wait until she had her robes for school, even if they were patched up.

Rolling her eyes when Remus started to mutter about how she couldn't just start a conversation with everyone they met, Renata held tightly onto his hand while they continued shopping. She and Remus didn't complain when all of the shops they entered sold worn down items, and she noticed the hook-nosed boy from the robes shop was by himself all day. Not once did she see him with a parent, sibling, or friend. She felt sorry for him and wanted to invite him to spend the day with her family, but Remus stopped her.

"What's left on the list?" Renata heard her mum ask.

Looking down at the list in her hand, Renata felt Remus reading over her shoulder. "Just our wands and then an animal, Mum," Remus replied.

Chuckling, John said, "Well, then, looks like it's time for the most exciting part. Are you two ready for your wands?"

When the twins nodded their heads excitedly, Remus no longer looking miserable, Ruby chuckled, "Come on then, the wand shop is back that way."

"I wonder type of wand I'm going to get," Renata exclaimed excitedly, practically skipping down the cobbled street as she dragged her equally excited twin behind her. "I bet you're going to get a dragon core, Remmy. They say that the most powerful wizards get dragon cores."

"They don't say that, Renata," her dad rolled his eyes.

"Well they should," Renata said without missing a bat of her eyes, "Everyone _knows_ that witches and wizards with dragon heartstring wands are really powerful. I'll bet that's the wand you get, Remmy."

Remus snorted, "I doubt it. I'll probably end up with unicorn hair."

"I want unicorn hair," Renata said dreamily.

John seemed to be amused at his kids' conversation. "They say that a wand that has a unicorn hair core is the most faithful. Unicorn haired wands are more prone to a consistent type of magic, and it doesn't work so well with dark magic. It's dragon heartstring that's more consistent with the dark arts."

"I probably _will_ get a dragon core then," Remus groaned.

Renata frowned as well, "Are you kidding. _I'll_ be the one stuck with the evil wand. You're right though, Remmy, you'll probably end up with a unicorn core. That's not fair – I wanted the unicorn core."

"How about you two argue over your wands once you receive it," their mum pointed out with an amused smile.

"Maybe you'll get a phoenix wand," Renata mused to her twin as they entered the wand shop. "I hear that it's rare to get one. You'll probably get one though."

Mr. Ollivander was a creepy man. He measured the length of their nose nostrils, and he had pepper colored hair, and wide pale eyes that seemed to shine brightly in the midst of the gloom of his wand shop. He chose Renata first, handing her a wand that nearly blew up an entire shelf. Humming excitedly as he handed her a second wand he immediately took it away from her when a green light began to spark from it. Renata felt as if she were ready to cry – she had been standing there for five minutes; nearly twenty wands already tested. Just when she was about to give up and say that maybe she wasn't meant to have a wand and go to Hogwarts, Mr. Ollivander appeared with an excited grin on his face. He seemed to grow happier at each wand that turned out to be wrong for the young witch.

"Give this one a try," he urged her, practically thrusting the wand into her hand. Once she grabbed it, Renata felt the magic course through her blood and veins. The wand's tip began to glow lightly as it vibrated in her hand, shooting gold and emerald colored stars up towards the ceiling. "Excellent!" Mr. Ollivander clapped his hands excitedly, "Excellent, excellent! Yes, I had my suspicions about you, Miss Lupin, and it seems I was correct."

"May I ask what suspicions, sir?" Renata asked, seeing the proud look in her brother's eyes as he watched her holding her wand.

Nodding his head eagerly, Mr. Ollivander pointed at the wand in her hands. "Once every fifty years this shop receives a rare batch from wandmakers around the world, Miss Lupin, just in case that it should choose a young witch or wizard from here in Britain. It is amazing that the wand you now hold in your hands was once of the very first wands made by Gregorvitch," Renata heard her dad gasp. When she looked up she saw the awe in his eyes as he stared at the wand in her hand, "Your wand is sixteen and half inches at length, made with pear wood, and its core my dear is a very rare core indeed – you have a strand of Veela hair."

Renata gasped and she stared at her wand with a dropped jaw. "No way!"

Chuckling, Mr. Ollivander nodded his head, "Yes way. It is rumored that once a hair is plucked from the head of a Veela, the Veela will either die or be forced to take its human form the rest of their life. The Veela that gave this strand of hair for your wand gave it willingly. Legend has it that she had fallen in love with Gregorvitch, and she knew he was learning to make wands, so she plucked a strand from her own head, allowing him to create a wand around it."

"Wow…" Renata didn't know what else to say. She looked up at her parents, but they both seemed to be in awe as well. Her mum knew all about the legends of Veelas because her dad would always tell her, and now her mum seemed to be at a lost of words after hearing what was just said.

Turning to Remus, Mr. Ollivander gave him a wide grin, "I have the feeling that I know which wand is perfect for you, young Mr. Lupin. Just give me a minute."

"Wow, Rena," Remus said, grinning at his sister. "That's so cool. You have a rare wand. And to think that the core came from an actual Veela. I heard that legend before. It says that she died after plucking the strand to give it to Gregorvitch. I guess he wasn't meant to be her mate, and the Veela in her couldn't stand the idea of living as a human to be with someone who wasn't meant to love her. Gregorvitch ended up using pear wood because that was the Veela woman's favorite fruit. It's said that the owner of the wand would become extremely powerful."

Looking down at her wand, Renata could feel its strength vibrating in her hands. A humming melody sang in her ears, and she could almost see the saddened face of a beautiful woman in the back of her mind. The legends were true – she could feel it. "That's sad," she frowned.

"Don't look at it as being sad," Remus told her. "You should be honored. That wand waited fifty years before picking the person it wanted to be with."

"Right," Mr. Ollivander returned with a box in his hands, "Why don't you give this one a try."

It was a proud day for the Lupin family. The wand that Mr. Ollivander gave to Remus to try chose him as soon as he touched it. It also turned out to be a special wand as well. It didn't have a rare core as Renata's did, but it was a wand that Mr. Ollivander's dad made back when he owned the shop. The wand was more than fifty years old. It was sixteen and half inches long, just as his twin's wand, and it was made of blackthorn wood, and it had a phoenix core. People with a phoenix feather in their wand's core turn out to be important. Mr. Ollivander had a weird dark gleam in his eye as he handed Remus the wand, and he explained that only three people in the world are known to have a phoenix feathered core – Remus now being the third.

After paying for their wands, the Lupins all went to the Magical Menagerie. Renata's eyes grew as she entered the shop. There were all sorts of pets in there. There was a turtle that had a jewel encrusted back, a black colored ferret that hung upside down in its cage, there were large dogs and little dogs that fit into teacups, owls of all shapes and sizes, rats doing tricks, toads hopping about in their tanks, and so much more.

"Did you two think about what type of animal you want to take with you?" their mum asked them, staring across at a white colored bat hanging upside down in its cage.

"You can choose either a toad, owl, or a cat," their dad reminded them, "But sometimes they allow you other pets. A boy in my year brought a rat once, and a girl once had a ferret. There were a few kids who also had bats," he mused noticing where his wife was staring at.

"I want an owl," Remus said with a soft voice. "That way Rena and I can write home to you both. Besides, I don't think any other animal would approve of me."

"Of course they will," Renata told her brother. "These are magical creatures, Remmy – they accept everybody and everything. What if you got a bat though? That would be so cool. And you could train it to deliver letters."

Staring at his sister with a disgusted look, Remus shook his head, "Bats creep me out. Besides, I already see the owl I want."

Remus ended up choosing a toffee colored owl that was sort of tall and slim, like him. Its eyes were a bright brown color, and Remus agreed with Renata when she named her Toffee. It lacked originality, but it matched the owl so well. She even approved of it, pecking at Remus affectionately when he said it aloud. Toffee came with a silver colored cage, a bag of food, a bowl for her food, a bottle for her water, and a box of owl treats. Remus practically had tears in his eyes, repeatedly thanking his parents as they paid for his owl and all of her belongings.

Renata took a little longer in choosing the perfect pet for herself. She knew she wanted a cat from the moment her parents told her they would buy her a pet as her birthday present, but being surrounded by all these creatures had her mind reeling in ecstasy. There were a few times when her brother had to drag her away from the tigers' section, and her brother even snuck a slap to her head when their parents weren't looking when she cooed at a baby bat. In the end though she finally found the perfect cat that she was in love with. It was only two years old, still sort of tiny with slightly large ears, and it was a soft cream color with white spots on its body and a black star over its left eye. Its eyes were a bright green color, and its tail was almost lion-like. The owner who sold the cat to them said it was part Kneazle, and Renata squealed in excitement. Like Toffee, the cat came with its own supplies: a cage to transport it in, a water bowl and food bowl, a bag of food, and a little plush rat doll for it to play with. Remus was the one who named it, quite like Renata was the one who named his owl. The cat quickly accepted the name – Arista.

"Put your things away already and I'll make dinner."

"Okay, Mum."

Running into their room with all of their bags, the twins threw their school supplies down onto their own beds and quickly released their pets. The room was small – filled mostly with their belongings. Straight across from the door was a window, which had the white colored curtain pushed back to allow the sunlight into the room. Right beneath the window was a small table that held a lamp on it. There was a small bed on each side of the table. Remus's bed had blue sheets with a blue pillow-cased pillow, and a blue blanket. Renata's bed had yellow sheets with a yellow pillow-cased pillow, and a pink blanket. At the foot of their beds was their school trunk. Professor Dumbledore was the one who supplied them with it. It was brand new and had their initials and surname on the front of it. Renata's trunk was beige with black lining, whereas Remus's trunk was black with beige lining. Professor Dumbledore explained that they each got separate colors seeing as how they shared the same initials and surname.

_R. J. Lupin_

_R. J. Lupin_

Against the wall nearest to Renata's bed was a small three-drawer dresser filled with her clothing, whereas Remus's identical dresser was flushed against his own wall. The wall across from their beds had a small closet, where they hung up most of their clothing. The top of their dressers were covered with their own personal items – a hairbrush, deodorant, spray, perfume, little hair clips, a magazine, and other little odd trinkets.

Remus cleaned off the top of his dresser, shoving everything into his top drawer so that he could place Toffee's cage on it, quickly setting it up. Renata placed Arista's cage on the floor next to her own dresser, removing the top half of it so she could see her new pet. Toffee flew out of the window, eager to observe her new home, whereas Arista simply stepped out of the cage, stretched, and jumped onto Renata's bed so she could curl up on the pillow. The two siblings ran out into the kitchen so they could wash out the bowls and fill it up with food and water for their separate pets before placing them back into the cages. Toffee's cage was already lined with newspaper, and so was Arista's.

After tending to their pets, the twins started to label their books and supplies. Although Remus tried to hide it, Renata could see the excitement in his eyes as he wrote his name in his things. "Maybe we should put our first names instead of labeling them as R. J. Lupin," Remus said suddenly, looking up from his Defense Against Dark Arts book.

"Why?" Renata asked, "Do you think you're going to lose your things and then try to steal mine?"

"No, I know you're going to lose _yours_ and then steal _mine_," Remus rolled his eyes. "Besides, it'll get too complicated if we keep labeling everything just as R. J. Lupin. I mean it could stand for Remus John, or it could stand for Renata Jessica."

"I'm _not_ writing Renata Jessica on all of my things!"

"No," Remus laughed, "I mean we could just write our first names, middle initials, and then our last names."

"So I'll write, Renata J. Lupin, and you'll write Remus J. Lupin?" Remus nodded his head. "Alright, sounds good."

It took up an hour; writing their names in all of their school books and their other supplies. Their dad was the one who told them to write their names on the bottom of their cauldron, scales, and on their telescopes because the Slytherins sometimes stole the other students' supplies if they broke theirs. He informed them that the professors would teach them a spell to label their phials before turning them in each time. After labeling everything they neatly packed it away. They placed their books into the trunks first, then they gently placed the cauldron, scales, and telescopes. Soon were the two inkpots they each owned, placed in the side box on the inside of the trunks. Their two feathered quills and their roll of parchment each went into the black shoulder bags that Professor Dumbledore gave to each of them as well, before being placed into the trunk. Their dragon-hide gloves and black hats went in next, and soon they were done. They just had to wait until their robes came in then pack that up along with their own clothes and other necessities.

Because he had just endured his three nights of a full moon, Remus had his usual dinner of completely raw steak, with a side of carrots and potatoes to help build his strength back up. Renata knew this was when he felt the most guilty – when he was eating steak that his family couldn't afford, while his parents and sister ate rice mixed in with sugar and syrup. Their parents knew it was unfair to Renata to have to eat like this while her brother ate a steak (even if it wasn't cooked at all) so on nights like this they always gave her a bowl of ice-cream afterwards. They knew it didn't make up for it, but they tried. Renata didn't mind it though. She grew up eating this meal of rice with sugar and syrup, and she knew that if her parents could afford it they would feed her and her brother better. It wasn't her brother's fault he had to have a steak after every full moon, and she knew that her parents put in extra hours just to be able to buy it for him.

Remus always tried to give her his potatoes and carrots, even asking his mum to cook half of the steak for her to eat it, but Renata always shook her head at him. "You need to gain your strength back, Remmy," she always told him. Remus always felt guilty about it, but Renata never did. She didn't mind it. She was just glad he was able to eat.

After dinner that night, Renata took a quick shower and dressed in a pair of long pajama pants and a jumper. For an entire week before and after the full moon, the room was always freezing because her dad would place heavy cooling charms in it for Remus. That was why her blanket was thicker than Remus's, more like a comforter really – because he was dying of heat and she was freezing to death to the point that she turned blue. Her comforter had a heating charm on it, but she still froze.

After brushing her hair and leaving it down, Renata slipped into a pair of fuzzy socks then entered the living room. Their house was small. There was a living room, a door that went into the tiny kitchen that had a table for four barely squeezed in it, the small linen closet, and then the bathroom, and the room that the twins slept in. There was a dresser in the corner of the living room, where a lamp sat on it, and that was the dresser that John and Ruby used for their clothing. The linen closet was filled with the clothes they needed to hang up, and the couch in the center of the room opened up to the bed to fit them both. There was a telly set up in front of the couch, but they caught only basic cable – watching mostly only movies on VHS more than anything else. There was a small shelf by the front door, where they all put their shoes, boots, and slippers. A small bookshelf was set up near where the dresser was, filled with all sorts of books.

"Thank you for today," Renata told her parents, smiling down at them as they cuddled on the couch to watch a movie together. "I love my wand, and I love Arista too. And I can't wait until I can start writing with my quills on the parchment. I think I'm going to start reading my school books tomorrow as well."

Chuckling, John nodded his head. "When I come home from work tomorrow I could show you and your brother a few spells. They don't frown upon you using your wands outside of school until you've at least started your classes."

"Really?" Renata's eyes lit up in excitement, "Oh, that'll be wonderful, Daddy. I can't wait to tell Remmy. I know he'll be excited too. Do you think you can teach us how to levitate things? That'll be so cool to learn!"

"What would you want to levitate, darling?" her mum asked.

Seeing the glint in his daughter's eyes, John laughed, "No levitating your brother, Renata!"

"Aww," she pouted.

After a couple more minutes of talking with her parents, Renata kissed them both goodnight and went back into her room. Curling up underneath her blanket, and feeling Arista curling up with her, Renata tried to stay awake so she could talk to her brother. She knew he could hear them while taking his shower, but she liked to pretend he didn't have supersonic hearing. She liked to tell him things herself, pretending it was the first time he heard it. She knew he liked it that way too – to pretend he was a normal person, who wasn't cursed at such a young age. Feeling Arista curl up underneath her arms, and seeing Toffee return to her cage, Renata felt her eyes shutting. She tried to stay up to talk to her brother, but she couldn't. She was sleeping as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

Entering Hogwarts

"Stop fidgeting, you look nice."

Glowering at her brother when he snarled at her for the fifteenth time since they entered Kings Cross, Renata ignored him. Today was September first – today was the day she said goodbye to her parents for three months before seeing them again for the Christmas holidays. Her dad walked in front of them, pushing the trolley that held the two trunks on it. Arista and Toffee were both in their cages, settled on top of the trunks. Their mum had to work that morning and their dad could only walk them onto the platform, but then he too had to leave for work. Renata had been up all night, unable to sleep at the idea of going to Hogwarts. Her mum had squeezed her and Remus tightly that morning, trying not to let them see her cry at the idea of them leaving for so long, but Renata saw the tears. And she knew Remus could smell them.

Remus and their dad kept getting annoyed with Renata all morning, with the way she kept changing her clothes as soon she threw it on. In the end, her dad ended up just throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her out to the car. Renata was now stuck in an outfit that she definitely hated. Black leggings hugged her legs to her knees, while a dusty colored t-shirt fell to her thighs. It fell off of her shoulders, showing off the straps of the bra her mum insisted she start wearing already. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail, and she kept tugging at her clothing.

"Renata!" Remus practically shouted at her.

"Sorry…" she muttered, still tugging at the bottom of her shirt.

"I get that you're nervous," Remus groaned, "But I can sense all of your emotions and it's only making me even more nervous. I'm about to throw up."

Trying to control her emotions was a silly thing to ask of her. Remus knew that it was impossible. If anything he made her more nervous, which now made her feel guilty. When Remus groaned louder this time, their dad turned around. "Remus, it's not fair to ask that of your sister. Renata, at least try to calm down. Think of happy things."

Sticking her tongue out her brother when he glared at her, Renata allowed her dad to push her in front of him so she could run through the barrier first. She barely made it out of the way before Remus followed closely behind, and then their dad. Once he was through, John quickly placed their trunks onto the train, handed them their pets, hugged them both, kissed both their foreheads, wished them luck, told them he loved them, and then he soon was gone back through the barrier. Taking in a deep breath, Renata didn't even have time to admire the platform before her brother was yanking her onto the train.

People were talking all around her. There were people talking about years before them, people talking about what they thought Hogwarts would be like, and people laughing. Allowing her brother to pull her to the compartment at the very end, Renata found the compartment slightly full. There were three boys already sitting in it, and a crying girl. The three boys were ignoring the crying girl completely. They all looked up to stare at the two newcomers, and Renata felt her cheeks blushing at the way the boy with silver eyes and dark long curls stared at her. He smiled kindly, and she shyly smiled back.

"Can we sit in here?" Remus asked, working up the nerve that his outgoing sister had seemed to lose.

The boy wearing glasses nodded his head. He grinned up at the two twins, "Sure. I'm James Potter. This here is my best mate Sirius Black, and this here is Peter Pettigrew. We don't know who she is. We found her sitting in here, and she's been ignoring us since."

Renata instantly grew annoyed with James. He seemed a bit arrogant when he spoke. He claimed the crying girl had been ignoring them, but she doubted any of them had tried to ask if she was alright. "I'm Remus Lupin," Remus introduced himself, allowing Renata to sit between him and the crying girl. "And this is my sister Renata."

Not bothering with saying hullo to the boys, Renata placed Arista's cage on the ground and left her inside of it. She turned to the crying girl, vaguely hearing James asking if they were first years as well. Placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, she could hear the girl sniffling. Vibrant red colored hair swung around as the girl turned to face her. "Hi," Renata said quietly, "Are you alright?"

The girl nodded her head, "Yes, I'm fine."

Smiling, Renata shook her head, "If you were fine you wouldn't be crying."

Renata could see the girl's lips sort of curl up in amusement. It quickly disappeared though, and the girl started to wipe her eyes with the back of her arm. Bright green eyes remained watery, but the girl no longer hid her face in her arms against the window. "I'm Lily," the girl introduced herself, "Lily Evans."

"I'm Renata Lupin," Renata grinned, "And this is my brother Remus."

Looking over Renata's shoulder, Lily shyly smiled, "Hullo, Remus."

"Hi Lily," he smiled back.

Renata saw the way the girl glared across at the three boys watching them closely. She sniffed again. "So, are you a first year too?" Renata asked.

Lily nodded her head. "Me and my best friend Severus are both first years. Oh no – Severus!" she gasped.

"What's wrong?"

Lily quickly jumped up, "I forgot about Severus. My sister made me cry, so I jumped onto the train without waiting for him."

"I'll help you look for him," Renata said, also standing up. Her brother was already in another conversation with the three boys.

"Thanks," Lily smiled.

Just as Lily and Renata opened the compartment door, a boy walked in. Renata noticed it was the same boy from Diagon Alley – the one with greasy hair. Remus must have remembered his scent because he was looking up and snarling already. The three other boys all sort of snickered when they saw him. Lily, however, looked pleased and threw herself into his arms. As Lily led the pale boy back to the seat where they were just sitting, Renata realized that this was Severus. She found herself smiling at the idea of the lonely boy from Diagon Alley having a best friend who was worried about him.

Sitting between the boy and her brother, who was now laughing at something that the curly haired boy just said, Renata listened to the greasy haired boy ask Lily if she was alright. After about ten minutes of comforting each other, Lily suddenly smiled, "Oh, Sev, this is my new friend Renata Lupin. Renata, this is my best friend Severus Snape."

Smiling kindly at the boy now staring at her, Renata said, "It's nice to meet you, Severus. I remember you from Diagon Alley."

Severus stared at her for a while, but then he said, "You're the girl from the robe shop. Hullo."

"Are you and your brother new to this world?" Lily asked. Renata could see Lily's hesitation and the defensive look in Severus's eyes – as if he dared any of them to challenge her. "I'm a muggle-born."

Renata shrugged her shoulders, "We're half-bloods, but we grew up in the muggle world. So we're sort of new, but not really. We're more new than we aren't though. Does that make any sense?"

Severus relaxed, and Lily laughed. "It makes a lot of sense. Sev is the same. He's a half-blood, but he also grew up in the muggle world. That's how we know each other actually. We live only two blocks away from each other, and we sort of met when we were only seven. He helped me get prepared for this world, but not by much."

"I was the one who told Lily she was a witch before she got her Hogwarts letter," Severus said proudly.

"That's so cool," Renata now had her back turned completely towards her brother so that she could talk to her new friends. It wasn't as if Remus noticed – he was talking to his own new friends as well. She was happy to see that he even made new friends, not acting too shy around them. Well, he was still shy… but at least he was talking and laughing. "So what house do you guys think you'll be in? I think Remus will end up in Gryffindor, but I want to be in Ravenclaw."

"Lily will most likely be either in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw," Severus said, smirking at Lily's blush. He suddenly frowned though, "But I'll probably end up in Slytherin."

Renata opened her mouth to say something comforting, but soon James was sneering, "Slytherin? Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

Renata saw that James was talking to the silver eyed boy, the one with the dark curls falling to his shoulders. He was dressed in expensive looking clothing, and his smile quickly dropped. Expecting him to jump to Severus's defense, Renata felt herself tense when she heard the boy instead say moodily, "My whole family has been in Slytherin."

"Blimey," James grinned cheekily, "And I thought you were alright."

The silver eyed boy grinned back, and Renata felt her disgust growing. "Where do you think you'll end up, James?"

James lifted an invisible sword. "Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Just like my dad," Severus made a disgusted sound in his throat, and James turned on him. "Got a problem with that?"

"No," Snape said. Renata could hear the longing in his voice though. It was the same longing that Remus had when he told Professor Dumbledore that he didn't need to go to Hogwarts, as long as his sister was still accepted. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-"

"Where're you hoping to go then, seeing as you're neither?" the silver eyed boy laughed. James started to roar with laughter, and so did the mousy little boy next to him.

"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment," Lily said, standing up and looking rather flushed.

James and the other boy (why couldn't she remember his name?) both started to laugh. "Ooooooo…."

Sneering at the three boys sitting across from her, Renata grabbed Arista's cage and stood up as well. "Rena?" Remus tried to grab her hand.

Pulling away from her brother, Renata looked down at him and she allowed him to see the disappointment in her eyes. "I'm going with them. Have fun with your new friends, Remus. I'll see you at Hogwarts."

Slamming the compartment door behind her, Renata vaguely heard the silver eyed boy apologize to Remus for making his sister mad at him. She saw the guilt in James's eyes as well, and she saw her brother sigh and shake his head. Following her two new friends down the compartment until they found one that had only two other people in it, Renata sat down next to the two new people and across from Severus and Lily.

"Sorry about them," Renata told Severus.

Lily looked at her in confusion, "You had nothing to do with them, and neither did your brother. Why are you apologizing?"

"Because it seems like my brother's about to become best mates with those gits," Renata snorted, "So I'm guessing he'll soon become one of them. This is my apology in advance."

"It's not that I _want_ to end up in Slytherin," Severus told her. "It's just that that's where all my family before me has ended up. There has yet to be a Prince who ended up in any house other than Slytherin."

"It doesn't matter to me," Renata shrugged her shoulders, reaching down to let Arista out of her cage. "I say I'd like to end up in Ravenclaw, but I have no doubt I'll end up in Slytherin. Even my dad says he sees me in that house. So if anything, I'll be there with you."

"That's no fair," Lily pouted. "I want to end up in Slytherin too."

Arista curled up on Renata's lap, sleeping gently, and the two other people kept to themselves. They looked older than the trio did, and they seemed caught up in whatever they were doing. When the trolley lady showed up, Renata noticed how Severus remained in his seat like she did – he was poor like her, she realized. Frowning sadly as she remembered him being by himself throughout Diagon Alley, Renata realized he was probably poorer than her. At least she had her family. Lily didn't seem to care though. She brought a little of everything off the trolley, and tossed it onto the bench between her and Severus, telling Renata to help them eat it all before they reached Hogwarts. Lily even offered the sweets to the older kids, who smiled in turn and politely declined it seeing as how they already brought some of their own.

The train ride was quick, and soon the friends were all pulling on their robes. Putting Arista back into her cage, Renata followed Lily and Severus off of the train. She searched the area for her brother, climbing into a boat with her two new friends and another boy who also seemed to have long black curls. His eyes were dark brown though, and his smile was more captivating. He sat in the seat next to her, right behind Severus and Lily.

They were all a cheery bunch, excited and eager to see Hogwarts. "Are you still looking for your brother?" Lily asked when she saw Renata craning her neck around the large crowd forming behind them.

Nodding her head, Renata didn't even notice the stern Scottish woman welcoming them to Hogwarts until the boy from the boat was pulling her along the moving crowd. "What's your brother look like?" he asked her, seeing that she was too busy trying to find her brother than pay attention to a sight that most first years never forget.

"He's tall and lanky, like me," she told him, still searching through the crowd. "He's got light brown eyes, light brown shaggy hair with a bit of gray in it, and he's really pale. When I last saw him he was on the train with three annoying gits. Erm… Lily, what were those blokes names again?"

"Potter," Lily spat out in disgust, "Black, and Pettigrew."

The boy seemed to tense at the names, but soon he was snickering. "Sorry to tell you, but if your brother is friends with them now, chances are you lost him for good."

Grinning at the boy's response, Renata said, "Well, we should probably rescue him before it gets that far, eh?"

"I'm Rabastan," the boy ended up introducing himself, and holding his hand out for her to shake it. "Rabastan Lestrange."

Renata shuddered. She'd heard of the Lestrange name before. Lestranges were friends with the Greyback bloke who attacked her brother. This one didn't seem too bad so far. "Renata Lupin," she said, shaking his hand back. "These are my friends Lily Evans and Severus Snape."

"Hullo," Rabastan said, shaking both of their hands.

Lily smiled kindly and said, "Hullo," but Severus barely even shook his hand and grunted. It seemed like he knew the rumors about the Lestranges as well.

"I know Sirius," Rabastan ended up telling her, "And I'm telling you that if your brother is friends with him he's pretty much a lost cause already. I know Potter too, and I can't stand him. I don't know Pettigrew though, but if he's hanging out with Sirius and Potter than he's probably a git as well."

"So basically Remus will become a git too," Renata laughed. She expected the boy to laugh with her, but he didn't. He seemed to truly believe what he was saying. It made Renata only laugh even harder. "So do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"My older brother Rodolphus is in fifth year already," Rabastan nodded his head, pointing over at the Slytherin table. "He's the bloke who looks kind of just like me. He's the one staring right us."

Looking over her shoulder, Renata instantly found Rodolphus. Rabastan was right – they did sort of look alike. The only difference was the age gap, and that Rodolphus's hair was longer. He gave her a curious look when she smiled at him. "Is he your only brother?"

Rabastan nodded his head. "What about you?"

"Only Remus."

"I have an older sister," Lily said grimly.

When Rabastan realized that Severus wasn't going to say anything, he turned to Lily. "What house is she in?"

"She isn't in any house," Lily said with slight hesitation. Renata saw the way that Severus tightened his grip on her hand. "I'm a muggle-born. Although… my sister is the same age as your brother."

Rabastan's eyes widened, and his mouth opened a little bit. He looked around as if to make sure no one noticed that he was talking to a muggle-born, and then he closely observed Lily. Renata saw the way her new friend's smile faltered as she leaned in closer to Severus for protection. "Wow…" Rabastan said finally, "I never met a muggle-born before."

Lily's jaw dropped, but she remained against Severus. "Never?"

Rabastan shook his head. "So did you all meet on the train then?"

"I met them on the train," Renata said, pleased to see that the boy didn't run off. He chose to stay and talk to them knowing that Lily was a muggle-born. "They were already friends though."

Rabastan looked up at the scowling Severus, "So are you a muggle-born too then?"

Severus shook his head, "My mother is Eileen Prince."

"Oh."

Renata didn't know what it meant to be the son of Eileen Prince, but Rabastan seemed to understand it, because he said nothing else. Instead he turned back to the front of the crowd, watching as the sorting hat started to sort people into their houses. Renata felt her nervousness growing, and she knew she wasn't the only one feeling anxious right now. She prayed that her brother was doing fine with all of the emotions surrounding him. Still searching the crowd for Remus, she felt a hand clasp onto hers. Looking down at the hand then back up at Rabastan, she saw him grinning at her. Grinning back, she welcomed the touch.

Slowly the large crowd began to thin out. Narcissa Black ended up in Slytherin, and Renata remembered everyone's shock when Sirius Black ended up in Gryffindor – apparently he's the first Black in history to not end up in Slytherin, something that Rabastan told her his family wasn't going to appreciate too much. Amelia Bones got sorted into Hufflepuff, Amos Diggory was in Hufflepuff, then Lily got sorted into Gryffindor as well, and soon Severus was holding onto Renata's free hand. He didn't want to lose his other only friend as well. Timothy Hopkins was sorted into Ravenclaw, and the names continued to be called out. When it came Rabastan's turn to be called, Renata found herself holding her breath.

The hat called out Slytherin, and she thought she saw disappointment on his face. Rabastan's eyes met hers and he gave her a comforting grin. Gilderoy Lockhart was sent to Ravenclaw, and Frank Longbottom was placed into Hufflepuff, and soon, "Lupin, Remus!" was called out, and Renata heard Severus's breath hitch when she tightened her grip on his hand.

Apologizing sheepishly, she loosened her grip and bit her lip as her brother sat on the stool. His eyes finally found hers just as the hat covered his face. It was silent for a few seconds, and Renata swore she could hear her own heart beating. "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted suddenly.

Renata grinned. Remus grinned back at her as he climbed off of the stool. Severus moaned, "Please don't leave me too."

Laughing as she heard her name being called, Renata squeezed Severus's hand once and said, "Like I said, I'll probably end up in Slytherin anyway."

Sitting on the stool, Renata glanced over at the Gryffindor table. She saw Lily and her brother both giving her an excited look as Sirius just stared at her, while across at the Slytherin table Rabastan seemed almost hopeful. Severus seemed almost pained. "_Hmm… interesting. Your heart is in Gryffindor, your mind is in Ravenclaw, and your loyalty to your brother places you in Hufflepuff. You my dear Miss Lupin are a unique one all in your own. I see great things happening… many great things happening… no matter which house I place you in._"

"I could be in any house?" Renata mused. She didn't think that was possible. She always thought she would end up straight in Slytherin, although she always wanted to be in Ravenclaw just because of the riddles she'd have to solve every day. Then again she didn't really want to leave her brother alone.

"_But he isn't alone, is he? No, I saw into your brother's mind, and quite a mind it is. He had his options as well, and he chose Gryffindor in the end. He's found his friends, Miss Lupin, and it's time you found yours._"

"Alright," she said finally, "Put me into whatever house you feel I most belong in, please."

"_Interesting… you have the choice of all four houses, and yet you're leaving it to me to decide your fate? Yes – I can see it all now. You have so much bravery, and your loyalty is shouting at me. You're one of the wittiest I have ever seen, and yet it's all those trademarks combined that have me placing you. It's your bravery, your loyalty, your wit, and your ambition that has me placing you where you truly belong – _SLYTHERIN!"

Pleased with the outcome of the sorting hat's decision, Renata pulled the hat off of her head and glanced across at her brother. He seemed to be thinking about something, whereas Sirius was gawking, and Lily seemed to be jealous. It was obvious that she had wanted to end up in the same house as her best friend from the beginning. Giving Severus a smirk as she walked past him in the crowd, Renata found herself sitting between Rabastan and Narcissa Black. The blonde girl had bits of black streaks in her hair, and she seemed to be just as highly poised as the pureblooded families always seemed. She greeted her in a friendly way though, and Renata thought about what the sorting hat told her – it's time to find her own friends.

The sorting continued down the list. Mary Macdonald ended up in Hufflepuff, Marlene McKinnon ended up in Gryffindor, and Dorcas Meadows was the first female to get sorted into Ravenclaw. Valentina Meliflua ended up joining the Slytherins, sitting across from the other three first years to be sorted into the house. It continued – Michael Nott in Slytherin, Peter Pettigrew in Gryffindor, Heidi Pierce in Ravenclaw, James Potter in Gryffindor, Quirius Quirrell in Ravenclaw, Evan Rosier ended up sitting between Valentina and Nott at the Slytherin table, then an annoying looking girl with glittering glasses got placed into Ravenclaw, and finally Severus was put into Slytherin. He ended up sitting between Narcissa and Renata.

Professor Dumbledore stood in front of the Great Hall, welcoming all of them to the school, but Renata hardly heard a word he said – something about not entering the Forbidden Forest, no using magic in the corridors, and something about a bloke named Filch. Focusing more on her brother, Renata saw him sitting at the Gryffindor table. Potter seemed to be telling him something, and Remus was laughing. Black and Pettigrew were laughing as well. Renata didn't know why, but those three boys automatically became Potter, Black, and Pettigrew to her – the looks they gave her for ending up in Slytherin proved that much to her. They somehow instantly became best friends with her brother, but they were her enemies.

"My father already taught me a few spells, but I can't wait to learn more. What do you think they're going to teach us?" finally looking away from where her brother was now saying something to a miserable looking Lily, Renata saw that Valentina was talking to the group. Valentina was a pretty looking girl with dark skin, dark blue eyes, and dark hair that fell to her thighs.

Narcissa Black, Sirius Black's cousin, was also really pretty. She was pale like the git from the train had been, and her eyes were a light silver color with a hint of blue in it. Renata felt out of place compared to her two roommates. "My two sisters told me that they teach us how to levitate things this year."

"And my brother said that in Potions we'll be able to brew a potion to make people forget things," Rabastan eagerly added. Renata saw the way he began piling his plate with all sorts of food. It all seemed so new to her – to see such a large assortment of food without having to worry if it'll run out. She looked across and saw her brother excitedly piling his own plate.

Looking to see what sorts of food there were to eat, Renata ended up just grabbing some roasted chicken and boiled potatoes. "I hear that McGonagall's the worst," Rosier said. He struck Renata as a sort of geek. Emerald framed glasses sat on a short nose, making his dark green eyes seem a bit bigger than usual. His hair was short and choppy with dark brown strands. "My cousin graduated last year, but he told me that she's hard on everyone – even her own house. She's the Transfiguration professor, and head of Gryffindor."

"Oh," Narcissa frowned, forgetting about the piece of ham on her fork, "My sisters warned me about her too. Andy says that she's nice if you pay attention in her class, but Bella says that she's impossible to work with."

"That's the one who greeted us, right?" asked Michael Nott – a boy with strikingly handsome bright green eyes, blonde spiky hair, yet teeth that sort of resembled a rabbit.

Rosier nodded his head, "Yeah, that was her. She didn't seem too bad, but I wouldn't push my luck with her."

Rabastan grinned, "We could probably get our way with Slughorn though. My brother told me that since he's the head of our house, he sometimes lets us get away with things – just as long as we don't push it too much."

Narcissa seemed to notice that neither Renata nor Severus were saying too much. Looking over at the two sitting closest to her she smiled kindly, "What about you two? Have you heard anything about the professors or the lessons?"

Severus shook his head gruffly, and Renata shook it shyly. She suddenly felt sort of lost without her brother near her. "We're both half-bloods who've been raised in the muggle world," she said softly. "My dad only told my brother and I a few things, but not enough to really prepare us for class. And I don't know about Severus, but I doubt he knows anything either."

Valentina smiled, "Wow, half-bloods in Slytherin, eh? That's cool, that means you two must really be sly to end up in here."

"That's right – your twin ended up in Gryffindor, right?" Nott said, shoveling carrots into his mouth, which made Renata stifle her laughter into hands. When she nodded her head he snickered, "Imagine sending that owl home – _Mother, Father, one of us in Gryffindor and the other's in Slytherin. We promise not to kill each other during the holidays though_."

Seeing the frown on Renata's face, Rabastan reached over and punched Nott on the shoulder, "Oi, it ain't funny, Nott."

Seeing the look on Renata's face, Nott blushed but said nothing. Narcissa leaned over Severus and placed a comforting hand on Renata's shoulder, "It isn't that bad. It could've been worse. I know my aunt and uncle are going to disown my cousin for being sorted into Gryffindor – at least your parents aren't like that. Are they?"

Renata could feel Severus shudder against her at Narcissa's words and she gave her new friend from the train an apologetic look. "No," she shook her head firmly, "My parents aren't like that. I think they'll be disappointed in me, but not that much. Daddy will get over it by Christmas. I'm sorry your cousin's in Gryffindor."

Narcissa shrugged, "I'm not that surprised really. I guess we always knew he'd end up different from the rest of us. I'm sorry you're not with your brother."

Grinning, Renata shrugged as well, "I didn't think I'd end up with him anyway. We all knew he'd end up in Gryffindor. I guess it's just weird not being with him anymore."

"Well you've got us now!" Rabastan grinned brightly, lifting his goblet of pumpkin juice high up into the air.

The rest of the welcoming feast went by smoothly. Renata learned that she loved pumpkin juice, and would drink as much of it as she could before having to return back home where she only drank water. Renata also learned more about her year mates. Severus, Rosier, Nott, and Valentina were all only children, whereas Narcissa had her two older sisters – one who was in her fourth year and one in her seventh year – and Rabastan had the one brother who was in fifth year, and also Prefect. She also learned that aside from her and Severus, all of her year mates already knew each other because of their families. Valentina and Narcissa were sort of cousins because Narcissa's uncle's wife (Black's mum) was first cousins with Valetina's mum – their dads were brothers. So Black and Valentina were cousins, but they acted more-so as if Narcissa and Valentina were – they were best of friends. Rabastan, Nott, and Rosier were also already best of friends, and Severus quickly clung to Renata; pairing them off as best friends as well.

By the time the feast had ended and they all made their ways down the dungeons where the Slytherin common room was, led by Rabastan's brother and a girl named Tracy Flint, the first years were all too tired and excited to actually notice how everything had a green shine around them. Renata knew she was a disgrace to all of the first years before her. This was a special night in her life, the night she had been waiting all her life for, but not once did she take the time to notice anything around her. She had been so focused on her brother and her being separated since the train ride that it didn't even dawn on her that there was a giant squid staring at her and her new friends.

"Cissy!"

"Cissy!"

"Rab!"

Hearing three separate voices calling out the nicknames of two of her new friends, Renata stopped walking when they did. She saw two older girls walking towards them while the fifth year Prefect continued standing where he was after pointing out the dorms for everyone to go to. "I'll meet you in the room, Narcissa," she ended up telling her new friend.

Narcissa shook her head, "I want you to meet my sisters, Renata. You too, Severus."

"Yeah," grinning widely, Rabastan pulled Renata closer to him. He looked up at the sniggering Prefect. "Rod, this is my new friend, Renata Lupin," Renata shuddered when Rodolphus's eyes darkened. He seemed to recognize her name, and she wondered if he knew what his family friend did to her twin. Rabastan seemed to shift uncomfortably and he gave his brother a warning, yet pleading, stare.

Shaking his head as if to pull himself together, Rodolphus ended up baring perfectly white teeth in what Renata supposed was meant to be a friendly smile. "It's nice to meet you, Renata. Are you having a nice night so far?"

Renata nodded her head, "It's been alright. Everyone's been really nice and supportive of me since hearing my brother got sorted into Gryffindor."

"Ugh," Renata turned her head to where the snort of disgust came from. The girl was pale with long thick black curls falling to her knees. Her dark eyes were blacker than Severus's, and she had a terrifying glint shining in them. She was extremely beautiful though – the type of girl that you would expect to find in a magazine. "You poor little dear. I'm already disgusted at hearing my sop of a cousin ended up in Gryffindor – imagine how you feel. Your own twin!"

"Bella!" a soft voiced girl hissed out in annoyance and embarrassment. Her eyes were identical to Narcissa's eyes, yet she looked identical to the other girl in every way. Even her dark curls fell to her knees.

"What? I'm only speaking the truth. Besides, I'm not the only one who thinks so. I can only imagine how Aunt Walburga will react. Uncle Orion might not care too much, but we all know that he's going to write Sirius out of his inheritance."

Rolling her eyes, the other girl looked at Renata, "I'm sorry about my sister Bellatrix, she doesn't ever think before she speaks."

"It's alright," Renata said, leaning closer to Rabastan as Bellatrix stared down at her. Severus had his hands in his pockets, preferring to remain unseen. "I'm not disgusted at Remus, though – it was a bit expected of him."

Bellatrix lifted an eyebrow, "Is that so? Still yet, you poor little lamb. It can't be easy on you being all alone in Slytherin now, while your darling twin rests amongst the lions. Don't worry; we'll take care of you. You may say you're alright now, but I know my little cousin and once he sinks his ideas into your brother's mind, the wolf and the lamb will separate!"

"_Bella_!" Renata's eyes widened when Rodolphus hissed at the older girl. So they did know, and Bellatrix seemed to be calling her out on it.

Shrugging her shoulders, Bellatrix simply said, "I'm only informing the poor girl that we'll be here for her once Sirius poisons her brother's mind against her."

"I'm sorry," Narcissa blushed apologetically to Renata. Renata could see her confusion though. It seemed like Narcissa didn't know what her sister was talking about, but Rodolphus and the other sister definitely did.

"I meant no harm," Bellatrix informed Renata, looking annoyed at the glare that her sisters and the two Lestrange brothers were now giving her. Leaning in closer to Renata, she stared into her eyes, "If I meant you harm you would know it."

Renata figured this was Bellatrix's odd way of apologizing so she nodded her head at her. "If I was offended, you'd know it. Although I'd kindly appreciate it if you kept certain things to yourself, particularly if it has to do with my brother."

Narcissa and Rabastan both gasped, but Bellatrix only smirked and pulled away. "I like this friend of yours, Cissy. I'm glad to see you're with Andy and I now, but I'm tired now. I'll see you in the morning."

Narcissa nodded her head, "Goodnight Bella."

Looking apologetically at Renata, the other Black sister said, "I really am sorry about her; it was nice meeting you though. Cissy, Rabastan, it's lovely to see you both in Slytherin with us. I'm going to have a talk with my sister now if you'll excuse me."

Blushing, Narcissa looked at Renata, "Well, those are my sisters. Bellatrix is always harsh, but I like to think she has some kindness somewhere deep down inside of her."

"I doubt it, Narcissa," Rodolphus said coolly.

Narcissa blushed again but nodded her head at what Rodolphus said. "I'm going to go look inside our room now, Renata. I'll meet you up there."

"Okay."

"Goodnight, Rodolphus, Rabastan, Severus."

"Goodnight," the three boys all replied, Severus the softest of all.

Seeing the way that Rodolphus was staring at her, Renata began to shift uncomfortably. She brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, "Well, I'm going to-"

"May I speak with you?" Rodolphus asked suddenly. The tone in his voice, however, told Renata that she didn't have a choice.

Sighing, Renata turned to Severus. "I'll meet you down here in the morning, Sev. Maybe we can stop over at the Gryffindor table before we eat breakfast and say hi to Lily and my brother?"

Giving Rodolphus a frightened look, Severus nodded his head. "Alright. Goodnight, Renata."

"Goodnight," she smiled at the second friend she made in this world. Lily would always be her first. And depending on how this conversation went, Rabastan might be her third.

The Lestrange brothers, and Renata, all watched as Severus hesitantly left the Slytherin common room, glancing back at them a couple of times. When Rodolphus turned back to look at Renata he saw that she had her arms crossed in front of herself as if expecting her to attack him. "I apologize for what Bellatrix had said, she was out of line."

"It's fine," Renata shrugged her shoulders. Biting her lower lip, she stared up at the older boy. "Did she – was she – do you know?"

Glancing around the dark glowing green room to make sure no one could hear him, Rodolphus nodded his head. "Yes, we do."

"We?"

Rabastan scratched the back of his head and looked at Renata apologetically, "I saw you flinch when I told you my name, and you stared at me funny, so I know that you know of my family – who we're friends with."

"Your father is best friends with the werewolf Fenrir Greyback," Renata said boldly, wishing she wasn't alone with the two Lestrange brothers. She kind of hoped that the Bellatrix girl returned. She said she'd keep an eye out for her.

Rodolphus nodded his head, "Exactly. We know of the attack on your brother when he was only seven years old. We know that your brother survived, but that he was turned into a werewolf as well. Bellatrix and Andromeda both know as well. Narcissa doesn't though. Bellatrix and Andromeda only know about it because they were at our house the morning after the attack. Greyback came to our manor and he told our father all about it, not caring that the two girls were there."

"Please don't tell anyone," Renata heard herself saying. She could feel the tears in her eyes starting. "Remus doesn't want anyone to know about it. I promise he won't hurt anyone. Professor Dumbledore made a safe way for Remus to attend Hogwarts without anyone finding out the truth about him, and it keeps him away from everyone during the full moons. Please don't – it would kill him if anyone found out."

Rabastan looked uncomfortable when he saw Renata's tears, and Rodolphus seemed a bit taken back as well. "You – you don't hate us?"

"You weren't the werewolf that attacked him," Renata sniffled, shaking her head and wiping her tears. "And you aren't the ones who told Greyback to try to kill Remus."

Rabastan looked up at his brother, and Renata saw the way he grinned up at him. Sighing, Rodolphus scratched his chin, "You're not nervous being alone with the two Lestrange brothers because of who our father is, but because we know your brother's secret?"

"I'm a half-blood," Renata shrugged her shoulders, "And my dad is sort of shunned from the wizarding world because the Ministry knows about my brother's condition, and also because he upset a few dark wizards – I'm used to having look over my shoulders in fear of being attacked. Being sorted into Slytherin only made me realize it even more-so. But my brother's secret – I can't let it get out. Please, it would kill him."

Rodolphus sighed, "We won't tell anyone. Andromeda isn't the type of girl to spill secrets anyway, and if Bella wanted to hurt you she'd find another way than starting a rumor. As for my brother, he took you in as a friend," Rabastan nodded his head on the side, "And I promise I won't tell anyone as well. You're a brave girl to enter these dungeons on your own, and to be willing to befriend the son of the man whose best friend attacked your own brother."

"Thanks," Renata sighed with relief. She knew she only just met these people, but for some reason she trusted them. If they promised not to say anything she knew they wouldn't say anything.

"Renata?" lifting her head up, Renata saw Narcissa standing across the common room and holding an annoyed looking Arista, "Is this your cat?"

"Yes, that's Arista. The giant told me that the house-elves would send her straight up to my room once I've been sorted."

"Yes, well, she's been locked up in her cage all this time. She's not very happy. When Valentina and I released her, she sort of attacked us."

Gasping, Renata quickly ran to the bottom of the staircase that Narcissa was standing at. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Are you both alright?" she asked, reaching out for the annoyed cat.

"Yes, we're fine. We managed to move away in time, but we figured we'd find out if she belonged to you or if the house-elves mixed it up."

"Arista!" Renata said, holding the cat in front of her face, "That was a very naughty thing to do. Narcissa and Valentina were only being friendly in releasing you. Oh, Narcissa I really am sorry."

Laughing, Narcissa waved it off. "Are you done down here? You've got to see our room – it's magnificent."

Rodolphus and Rabastan both saw the way that Renata turned to look at them. Chuckling when he saw his brother's face towards the cat, Rodolphus nodded his head, "Yes, I've said all I wanted to say."

"Great, goodnight Rodolphus, Rabastan."

"Goodnight," the two brothers smiled back. Once Renata reached the top of the stairs though, Rodolphus shouted, "Oi, Renata?"

"Yes?" she asked, turning around to look back at him.

"I take it your brother's the one with the owl seeing as how you have a cat," Renata nodded her head. "If you'd like, you could use my owl to send a letter to your parents to let them know what house you're in. Your brother probably sent his own letter off already, telling them for the both of you, but I know how first years are always excited to write their own letter."

"What about Rabastan's letter?"

"I've got my own owl," Rabastan chuckled.

Suddenly feeling her grin widening to the point where her eyes became slits, Renata eagerly nodded her head, "Okay, that'd be great. Thanks!"

"Sure, I'll send Snitch up to your room."

The room was something that Renata definitely noticed. It was huge! Narcissa wasn't lying when she said the room was magnificent. There were a total of three beds in the room, all lined up against the same wall while large windows sat across from them. The windows were amazing as well. Renata was impressed by the amount of magic that went into it. She could see it now – how they were under water. But the windows were open. The dark green of the deep depths under water swirled around the open windows, magical creatures and mermaids all swam past them, the mermaids even waving sinisterly at them, but the water remained out of the room. Plopping Arista down on the bed against the far wall in the room, Renata ran to the window and stuck her arm through the window. She giggled when her arm entered the freezing wetness, but remained dry when she pulled it out.

"I thought Bella was lying to me," Narcissa said in awe, also sticking her hand out the window.

Valentina remained seated on her bed, "Isn't it beautiful!"

Renata nodded her head in agreement. "I can't wait to tell Remus about this. He'll never believe me! Do you think the creatures can enter the room?"

Narcissa shook her head, "Bella told me that the magic allows us to open the window to allow in cool air, and to allow our owls to fly to and from, but a person's body is not allowed to enter or leave. Andy once told me that her roommate's cat once jumped out to chase after a Grindylow, but once it realized it jumped into a lake it sort of freaked out and jumped right back in. I guess the Grindylow decided to chase the cat back, but it hit an invisible wall preventing it from entering the room."

"And the owls are fine?" Renata asked in awe. "I mean they fly through the lake and nothing happens to them?"

Narcissa nodded her head, but Valentina shook hers. "The owls don't actually fly through the lake. I don't understand it completely, but my father told me that once they hit the lake they sort of just appear at the window, as if they apparated. It's quite marvelous really."

As if to prove Valentina's point, a large golden colored owl with bright yellow eyes entered the room. The three girls all watched in amazement as it appeared right in front of the window, flying into the room as if it swam through the entire like. The owl remained perfectly dry. "That's so cool!" the three girls said together, all giggling when they realized they had the same thoughts.

"Whose owl is that?" Valentina asked, watching the owl approach Renata.

"Rodolphus's," Renata replied, watching Arista eye the bird with a hungry gaze, "Don't eat the owl, Arista – he loaned it to me so I could send a letter to my parents, seeing as how Remus and I are separated and I can't get to his owl," she spoke to both her cat and to her friend.

"It seems like he wrote you a letter as well," Narcissa pointed out, digging through her drawers for clean clothes.

Renata grew up only hearing about house-elves before. Her family had always been too poor to own one, but she knew all about them, but it still caught her off guard when she entered the dorm and learned that the house-elf who brought her things up to her room for her ended up putting all of her clothing away. There was a desk set next to each bed, each desk adorned with each girl's school supplies, books, and shoulder bag. Then there were three wardrobe closets standing up in the room; one across from each bed, next to a tall five-drawer dresser. Each wardrobe and dresser sat next to an open window, each one already filled with the girls' clothing and robes. There was a full-body length mirror on the inside of each wardrobe closet door. Their trunks were set against the foot of each of their beds, their remaining belongings still placed neatly inside of it. Arista's cage was placed in front of Renata's desk, the top half laying neatly next to it from when Narcissa and Valentina were kind enough to release her.

Sitting on her bed, which was larger than the one she had at home, and decorated with emerald colored sheets, two silver and two emerald colored pillows, and a Slytherin decorated comforter, Renata accepted the letter from the owl. She held her hand up and petted the bird, giggling when it curled into her hand, allowing the gentle contact. Opening the letter up, she smiled.

_Renata,_

_This is Snitch, and he's a bit of a flirt – he loves to be petted all the time. Feel free to use him any time you need to really, I don't really use him as much as I probably should so he always feels neglected._

_-Rodolphus _

"What did he say?" Narcissa asked, changing to a pair of silk pajamas.

"That I can feel free to use his owl any time," Renata replied, reaching towards her desk for parchment, her inkpot, and her quill. "And also that the owl's a flirt. His name is Snitch."

Renata quickly wrote a letter to her parents, wondering how they would feel once they've read it…

_Mummy and Daddy,_

_Remus has most likely sent out his letter already, informing you of the houses that we've been sorted into, but the fifth year Prefect of my house was kind enough to allow me to use his owl to send my own letter out to you guys._

_Remus is in Gryffindor, and I'm in Slytherin._

_Remus has most likely informed you of his own information, so I'll only fill you both in on mine. I made friends today. Do you remember that greasy haired boy from Diagon Alley? Mum, he was the one in the robe shop before us – well I met him on the train. His name is Severus Snape, and I sat the whole ride with him and his best friend Lily Evans. Lily's a muggle-born, and Severus is a half-blood like me. Lily's in Gryffindor as well, but Severus is in Slytherin with me. The people in this house are kinder than I expected, and the two girls who share my room are really nice as well._

_There's Narcissa Black – she has two older sisters. Bellatrix is in fourth year, and she seems to like me, and Andromeda is in seventh year – she's different from both Narcissa and Bellatrix. And then there's Valentina Meliflua – she's really pretty. The boys in my year (in my house) are really nice so far too. As I've mentioned already, there's Severus. But there's also Michael Nott – he's alright, but his teeth reminds me of a rabbit. There's Evan Rosier – he was telling us all about Professor McGonagall, who his older cousin warned him about. And then there's Rabastan Lestrange. Rabastan is my third best friend. He's the third friend I made since the train ride, actually. He's really funny too, and he got all mad at Nott when he said something about Remus being in Gryffindor, and me being in Slytherin – I guess most families get all weird when that happens. But Narcissa's cousin is in Gryffindor too. He's one of Remus's new friends from the train, actually._

_ The Slytherin dorms are really cool. We're down in the dungeons, and in my dorm we can see underneath the Black Lake. I mean, we're actually underneath the lake. The mermaids look nothing like the cartoons, Mum. So far I've counted eight since I got in here. And everything is green – my room has an actual green glow to it from the lake. The owl that I'm using, Snitch, he sort of dives into the lake then just appears outside of our window before flying into it. Our window is open, but the water can't get inside of it. How cool is that?_

_Well, it's getting late, and I'm really tired. I just wanted to send you a letter letting you know what house I'm in, and to tell you both how much I love it here. Arista's still getting used to it, but she'll love it eventually. I think she's just upset because the house-elves left her in the cage, and my two roommates were the ones who finally set her free as soon as they got up here. You can send me a letter back through Snitch if you want to. Rodolphus said I'm free to use him anytime I want to, because he doesn't send out letters anymore._

_Rodolphus is Rabastan's older brother, and Prefect. I think it would be weird for me to have my older brother as the Prefect, but Rabastan doesn't seem to mind it. Rodolphus is the one who brought us to the Slytherin common room, after all, so I guess Rabastan just liked the idea of being shown around by his brother instead of by a stranger._

_And yes, I do realize I've been talking about Lestranges as if they're good people, but Rodolphus and Rabastan are. Rabastan was even nice to Lily, even after hearing that she was a muggle-born. He's my third best friend, and he's actually really nice. I think you guys would like him. I think Remus will too. Especially if I have to put up with the boys he befriended on the train._

_Well goodnight, and I'll write you soon._

_Love, Renata_

Reading over her letter a couple of times, and realizing her parents would kill her anyway for befriending Lestranges, Renata sent Snitch off with the letter. Deciding that she was too tired to shower she followed Narcissa and Valentina – she changed only. Only, she didn't actually change as much as she ended up taking off her leggings and removing her bra. Staying in the same shirt that she wore all day, Renata curled up in her bed and felt Arista curl up next to her.

She barely even said goodnight to her two roommates before falling asleep quickly.

That night Renata dreamt of the wizarding world mermaids singing a dark and frightening song with a dancing Grindylow while Bellatrix swirled around with a talking lobster and Severus danced with Lily. Remus was in a cage next to them, while Sirius Black tried to set him free. Potter and Pettigrew were painting each other's nails, and Rodolphus was off to the side trying to battle a shark. Rabastan was swimming in a pool of pudding while Valentina rode a seahorse, and Narcissa sat on the sidelines with Nott and Rosier.

She wouldn't remember any of it when she woke up the next morning.


End file.
